GermGuardian AC9600W Air Purifier: Trusted Review & Specs

Guardian Technologies has massaged a few elements of its air purifiers to create an even fuller package for this year, but the GermGuardian AC9600W is still lagging behind the competition a little bit. Of course, if you want an air purifier with a good backup warranty as well as high-quality air filtration, let’s take a look at our GermGuardian AC9600W Review.

GermGuardian AC9600W ranks B in our air purifier ranking list. We give the biggest and most thorough database of air purifier reviews in the world.

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Guardian Technologies is making a song and dance about why you need an UV-C light filter in air purifiers. And it does make sense: air purifiers with UV-C light, whose main emission is at 222 nm, can kill 99% of common types of bacteria after 2 minutes and 99.9% of common mold spores after 5 minutes. So, let’s take a look at the most powerful air purifier of this brand in the GermGuardian AC9600W Review.

Other GermGuardian’s Air Purifier Reviews:

GermGuardian AC9600W Price

The GermGuardian AC9600W is how the American brand offers its loyal customers the most powerful air purifier, bringing back the UV-C light filter that you could miss from the GermGuardian AC9400W.

It’s not too expensive, but the GermGuardian AC9600W’s price of $399 isn’t a surprise, as it is a direct successor of the AC9400W model. However, we can hope a discount for the product, as the GermGuardian AC5109W has reduced the price recently.

The air purifier is for anyone who wants the top-tier air purifier for mold spores, mildew, and viruses, as it offers the missing UV-C light filter. However, if we can look past the Molekule Air Mini which is straight-up bad, the competition is full of potential air purifiers, with both the TruSens Z-3000 and Vornado PCO575DC having been the best air purifiers for mold for years.

And don’t forget the GermGuardian AC9200WCA, which is always a top pick for anyone who wants GermGuardian performance at a cheaper price. So, the new features aren’t game-changing, but the company has included some tricks that you didn’t have with previous GermGuardian air purifiers.

Related post: Best air purifier 2023.

GermGuardian AC9600W Design and Size

The design of the GermGuardian AC9600W isn’t significantly different from that of recent GermGuardian air purifiers, so if you’ve seen previous devices like the GermGuardian AC5109W, GermGuardian AC9400W or even the newer GermGuardian AP5800, expect a similar affair here.

The same bottom-to-top airflow design returns here, with a 26-inch height and 13-inch width and depth. The GermGuardian AC9600W is a huge, tower-like console air purifier, which is a bit like the AC9400W. Building tower air purifiers is truly Guardian Technologies’ forte, and the design here is not much of a surprise.

The main difference between this air purifier and the older flagship is that it doesn’t have a front air outlet. However, it feels reassuringly premium, considering the shorter AC5109W has a front air outlet.

Still, the GermGuardian isn’t as unique as the old AC9400W, especially when the old unit is a lot different from the budget tower air purifiers of this brand, for example, the GermGuardian AC5000 and GermGuardian AC5250PT. But I think the top control panel is better overall. It is smaller and right within your reach.

Source: Amazon.com

At 17.7 lbs, the GermGuardian AC9600W is the same as the old flagship. But the handle is quite inconvenient, so you should be careful when moving it around.

Related post: Best air purifiers for bedroom.

GermGuardian AC9600W Filters

When it comes to the raw performance of an air purifier, we decide based on how many filters it has and the types of air filters it uses. The GermGuardian AC9600W makes use of the 2-stage air cleaning system.

1. True HEPA filter and Activated Carbon Filter – GermGuardian AC9600W uses an all-in-one mechanical air filter to both capture and remove 99.97% of any airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, such as household dust, pet dander, mold spores, and plant pollen. The carbon filter reduces odors from pets, smoking, and cooking, along with many VOCs emitted from a variety of household products and chemicals.
2. UV-C light filter – The signature GermGuardian technology helps reduce germs and works with Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) to reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Can be switched on/off.

The GermGuardian AC9600W uses the same air filter as the GermGuardian AC9400W, which isn’t a huge surprise as the AC9600W has the same price tag as the AC9400W. However, it doesn’t mean the experience isn’t good, because the all-in-one air filter of Guardian Technologies has a high efficiency, tested by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

And we should welcome the return of the UV-C light filter, which has always been the signature filtration of Guardian Technologies. When combined with the TiO₂ panel, the UV-C light can reduce airborne bacteria, viruses, and mold spores.

The GermGuardian AC9600W does impressive levels of air filtering, as you can see from the below chart. It matches the performance of the Medify MA-50, reducing 99.92% of all particles down to 0.3 microns in only 1 hour. Such power is even better than two popular products on the market, the Alen BreatheSmart 45i and Rabbit Air BioGS 2.0.

Like I said earlier, the GermGuardian AC9600W uses the filter K FLT9400, which is also the most expensive air filter from this company. It will last only 6 to 8 months, so the annual cost is a bit higher than other competitors.

Related post: Best air purifiers for allergies.

GermGuardian AC9600W Room Coverage

Guardian Technologies intends to make the GermGuardian AC9600W consistent with the old flagship, so newer products are probably using the same fan power as the GermGuardian AC9400W. It would be better for producing existing parts.

The GermGuardian AC9600W can cover 395 square feet, thanks to the test made by the AHAM.

The ACH of GermGuardian AC9600W is 5X. This is the highest air changes per hour rating from this brand, too. This GermGuardian AC9600W will exchange the air in your room every 12 minutes.

The CADR of GermGuardian AC9600W is 267 Dust/ 255 Smoke/ 271 Pollen (cfm). The specs are decent and help the GermGuardian AC9600W go head-to-head with the most powerful air purifiers in the same price range.

Related post: Best large room air purifiers.

GermGuardian AC9600W Sound

GermGuardian AC9600W, together with many other products made by Guardian Technologies, is marketed to deliver ultra-quiet operation. The noise level of the GermGuardian AC9600W is okay at the lowest speed, at only 35 decibels (dB). It is probably the most powerful and quiet GermGuardian product to date.

Its highest noise level is also better, at 57 decibels. Such a noise level is lower than the old flagship, and you don’t need to worry about running the GermGuardian AC9600W even when sleeping.

Related post: Best air purifiers for baby.

GermGuardian AC9600W Power Consumption

One of our most FAQs is “Do air purifiers use a lot of energy?” In fact, air purifiers must be used for a long time to be efficient. And power consumption is one important criterion to review to determine if this air purifier is good or not.

As an Energy Star air purifier, the GermGuardian AC9600W should be very energy efficient. And its power rating is only 54 watts, which is just slightly higher than the GermGuardian AC9200WCA.

If you use a GermGuardian AC9600W for 8 hours each day, it would cost you $19 per year.

Related post: Best air purifiers for pets.

GermGuardian AC9600W Additional Features

GermGuardian AC9600W is developed on the basis of the GermGuardian AC9400W, so you could expect the latest Smart Sensor in this air purifier. Sadly, it seems the manufacturer doesn’t like the idea of implementing a Wi-Fi connectivity function in its new products.

Still, the Smart Sensor is valuable, as it can help you monitor the air quality automatically. It can adjust the fan speed according to the indoor air quality index. You can check the current AQI on the front display of the GermGuardian AC9600W.

There is a simple sleep mode for this air purifier, as well as a child lock feature to avoid any accidental changes of settings.

Finally, you still have the basic timer and one LED indicator for filter replacement. These functions are so common for any air purifier, and there is no way Guardian Technologies will miss them.

Related posts:

1, Best air purifiers for smoke.

2, Best air purifiers for dust.

3, Best air purifiers for mold.

GermGuardian AC9600W Customer Service

There is not much to say about the brilliant support from Guardian Technologies’ customer service. Anyone can get active support from the American brand. The company also makes the instruction manuals available online to help you answer common questions on your own. But if you can’t find a solution, just contact customer service via phone at 866-603-5900 or via email at support@guardiantechnologies.com. Just like any other brand, the office will be open from Monday to Friday.

Guardian Technologies occasionally offers free shipping as well as a significant discount on all products (typically 10% to 20%). Whenever you find the air purifiers are not as great as you had thought, you can return them within 30 days of your original receipt of the order. And don’t worry about the warranty policy of Guardian Technologies, as it warrants its products to be free of defects in materials or workmanship. You can register for a warranty for up to five years.

The GermGuardian AC9600W has a warranty of 3 years.

Our verdict

The GermGuardian AC9600W is the best air purifier the company has made for years, though its ranking is a little behind the smaller GermGuardian AP5800. It brings back the UV-C light filter that you couldn’t have with the previous GermGuardian AC9400W; however, other things remain the same.